Character display unit



Dec. 23, 1958 J. T. MONANEY CHARACTER DISPLAY UNIT Filed Jan. 31, 1957CONTE'OL C/ECU/TS' United States Patent O CHARACTER DISPLAY UNIT JosephT. McNaney, La Mesa, Calif., assignor to General Dynamics Corporation,Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application January 31,1957, Serial No. 637,528 Claims. (Cl. 340-368) This invention relates tocharacter display systems and, more particularly, to improvementstherein.

One of the problems presented by the advent of present-day high-speeddata-handling systems is that the machines can usually produce resultsin the form of data output at a much higher rate of speed than can behandled by present-day electromechanical printers which are used forprinting out such data. As a result, if it is desired to employ thepresently known output printers, it is necessary to provide some sort ofdelay or buffer between the high-speed information-handling machine andthe output printer to slow down the data to the speed for which theoutput printer is operable. Alternative to this, there have been devisedcomplex and costly cathode-ray apparatus which can handle the high-speedoutputs of the data-handling machines. The face of the cathode-ray tubeis usually photographed when this type of apparatus is employed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel, high-speedcharacter-display unit.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a simple andinexpensive character-display unit.

These and other objects are achieved by providing a system wherein thereis a selectively positionable light beam means, such as a cathode-raytube, a lens system positioned adjacent the light-beam means, the lightmask spaced from the lens system, and viewing means spaced from thelight mask. The light mask consists of the plurality of matrix areas,each of which comprises a plurality of character-shaped apertures. Thelens system provides a lens for each character-shaped aperture which ispositioned opposite to the aperture. The lens system may comprise asimple plate which has pin holes opposite each character to serve as alens. Each matrix area has the same character apertures as the other.The spacing of the light-beam means, lens system, light mask, and

viewing means is such that no matter which one of the characters in anyone matrix area is illuminated, this illumination will be seen onsubstantially the same area of the viewing means. Therefore, byselectively illuminating a character in each matrix, it is possible toconstruct meaningful words, sentences, and numbers on the viewing means.

The novel features that areconsidered characteristic of this inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, both as to its organization and method of operation, as well asadditional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood fromthe following description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a typical matrix arrangement employed in the embodimentof the invention; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the embodiment of theinvention.

Referring now to Figure 1, there may be seen an isometric view of anembodiment of the invention. It comprises a source of a selectivelypositionable light beam, such as a cathode-ray tube device 10, which hasa brightness control grid 12 and a deflection yoke 14. These re-- ceivesignals from control circuits 16, input signals to which are appliedover the line 18. The output of the control circuit comprises deflectionsignals which selectively position the cathode-ray beam in accordancewith the instructions received over the line 18, and which also blanksthe cathode-ray beam in accordance with these instructions.

In front of the cathode-ray tube there is supported a lens system 13which may comprise a screen S, which is opaque to light and which hastherein a plurality of pinhole apertures, the positioning for which willbecome clearer as this explanation progresses. Positioned to interceptany light which passes through the lens system 13 is a light mask 18,which has a plurality of matrix areas 20. Each matrix area 20, as shownin Figure 2, has a plurality of character-shaped apertures22. Any lightwhich passes through these character-shaped apertures falls upon ascreen 24, where it may be viewed.

Reference is now made to Figure 3, which shows a cross-sectionalenlargement of the pertinent sections of the embodiment of theinvention. The cathode-ray tube 10 has a screen 11, upon which thecathode-ray beam 9, represented by the dotted lines, falls. As is wellknown, this causes the phosphor of the screen to luminesce, providing asa result light rays which may fall upon one of a plurality of pinholes15 made in the screen S.

These pinholes are positioned to be opposite an associated one of thecharacter apertures 22, which is within the matrix area. Therefore,there are as many pinholes, or lenses, as there are character aperturesin the light mask 18. Thus, selective positioning of the cathoderay beamcan provide selective illumination of a character in each matrix areathrough the pinhole lens 15. The effect of the spacing between thecathode-ray tube and the pinhole lens and between the pinhole lens andthe light mask is to cause the light which illuminates any one of theapertures within a given matrix field area to fall upon substantiallythe same area for that particular matrix. Thus, it is possible toconstruct meaningful words and sentences by selecting a character withineach one of the matrix areas rapidly in sequence. This is made possible,of course, by positioning the cathode-ray beam to selectively illuminatea desired aperture Within each matrix area, which is then projected uponthe screen 24.

The arrangement of the lens system, aperture system, and viewing screenis held together by supports 30, 32 in a manner so that the arrangementis portable and can be applied to the surface or screen area, of anycathoderay tube. Thus, there is provided an economical highspeed outputcharacter presentation device. The size of the device may be varied asrequired. The viewing screen 24 may either be a ground glass, aphotosensitive film, a translucent material, or any other arrangementwhereby the output of the system is desired to be recorded. The amountof light available at the viewing surface of the screen will be afunction of numerous parameters, such as the number of difierent symbolsdesired to be displayed, the amount of light that can be made availableat the selected spots on the cathode-ray tube screen, the distance agiven light has to be projected, the size of the displayed symbol, etc.The number of characters may be as many as 64, or more, within a matrixarea. The circuits within the control circuits 16 are the well-knowndeflection-control circuits of a cathode-ray tube, which may receive thedeflection current as such directlv or may receive the control signalsas digital signals, which, by well-known means, are converted to analogcurrents for the purpose of deflecting the cathoderay'beamto a desiredarea of the screen. The control grid may be blanked offbetweensuccessive positions of the cathode-ray beam. The length of time duringwhich the cathode-ray beam is permitted to remain at any single spot forilluminating the characters in succession is usually determined bywhether the screen-is to-be viewed by the eye or whether thescreenis-arecording medium such as: photographic film, in which eventthe amount of light required for'providing arecording-is the determiningfactor. The-intensityofthe cathode-ray beam light can be increased toshorten this dwell time.

While-certain embodiments of the invention have been specificallydisclosed, it is understood that the-invention is not limited thereto,as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art,and the invention is to be given its broadest possible interpretationwithin the terms ofthe following claims.

I claim:

1. A character-display device comprising selectively positionable lightbeam meansproviding a light beam, a light mask having a plurality ofcharacter-shaped apertures, alens system comprising a plate positionedbetween said light mask and' said light beam means, said plate having apinhole aperture opposite each charactershaped aperture, said light beamfrom said selectively positionable light beamv means selectivelyilluminating a character-shaped aperture through its applicablepinholeaperture, and a viewing scren positioned adjacent said light mask'to beilluminated by the light passing through a selected one of itsapertures.

2. A character-display device comprising a cathoderaytube having ascreen at one end for generating selectively positionable light uponsaid screen, a lens system comprising a plate having a plurality ofpinhole apertures, said plate being adjacent said cathode-raytubescreen, a light mask having a plurality of charactershaped apertureseach of which is located opposite a corresponding pinhole, said lightmask being spaced from said lens system a distance to insureillumination of a character-shaped aperture by said light passingthrough the corresponding pinhole from said. tube, and a viewing screenpositioned adjacent said light mask to be illuminated by the lightpassing through a selected one of its apertures.

3. A character-display device comprising a selectively positionablelight beam means, a lens system positioned adjacent said light beammeans, a light mask spaced from said lens system, and viewing meansspaced from said light mask; said light mask having a plurality ofmatrixv areas each ofiwhich comprises a plurality of character-shapedapertures, said lens system having a lens for each character-shapedaperture positioned opposite an associated character, and means forselectively positioning the beam of said selectively'positionable lightbeam means to illuminate a desired one of the characters in each matrixthrough the lens opposite to it.

4. A character-display device as recited in claim 3 wherein said lenssystem includes an opaque plate having a pinhole for each lens.

5. A character-display device comprising a cathoderay tubehaving ascreenat one end, a lens system spaced from said screen, alight maskspaced from said lens system, and a viewing screen spaced from saidlight mask; said light mask having a plurality of matrix areas each ofwhich comprises a plurality of character-shaped areas, said lens systemcomprising anopaque plate having a pinhole opposite eachcharacter-shaped aperture in said light mask, and means for selectivelypositioning the cathoderay beam of said tube for illuminating a desiredone of the charactersin each matrix through the pinhole opposite to it.

References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED STATES PATENTS2,261,571 Smith Nov. 4, 1941 2,735,956 McNaney Feb. 21, 1956 2,787,785Hunter Apr. 2, 1957

